Bale of fibrous material.



Patented Nov. 6,- I900.

G. A. LOW-BM, BALE 0F FIBBOUS MATERIAL.

(Applicatinxi filed Jan. 29, 1897.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT rFICE.

GEORGE A. LOWRY, OF CHICAGC, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PLANTERS COMPRESS COMPANY, OF

NEST VIRGINIA.

B-A LE OF FIBIROUS MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,475, dated November '6, 1900. Application filed January 29, 189); Serial No- 621,2l )3- (No modeld "To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LOWRY, a

cage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Bale of FibrousMateriaL-of which the following is a specification.

. and in section.

' This invention relates to a new article of manufacture which may be designated as a bale of fibrous material.

The object of the invention is to produce a bale of compressed fibrous material which will occupy a very small space compared with its weight and at the same time permit a ready and facile withdrawal of a portion of the bale;

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction which will be hereinafter described, and more particularlypointed out in the claims.

Like letters refer to similar parts in both figures of the drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a side elevation of a bale secured in its compressed condition and in its cover, with a small portion broken away Fig. 2 illustrates in vertical elevation a view of a portion of a bale which has been withdrawn for use or sampling purposes.

3o It is well understood in the present age that fibrous materials of various sorts or kindssuch as cotton, hemp, hay, flax, and tow, and various other substances-sale for purposes of transportation and storage compressed, so as .to very considerably reduce their original volume when packed in bulk. This extreme compression which is given such fibrous materials in order to form them into a bale has disadvantages in that a portion ofthematerial cannot be readily removed either for use or for sampling purposes, and this is especially true with bales of the material made lll'l(l6l lll0l6 recent processes, in which the,degree of compression has been greatly augmented. So much difliculty has been experienced in sampling the bales compressed under recent methods that special machines have been invented and produced for obtaining samples from the bale while in process of compression. Samples are attached to the outside of the'bale as a guarantee ofitstexture. Again, according to recent methods ing, and so tightly is this done that it has been found diiiicult, if not impracticable, to unwind them by hand, and accordingly special machines have been devised for reversing'the winding operation, and thereby obtaining a portion or all of the material in condition to be used.

In the patents heretofore obtained by me, Nos. 581,600 and 581,601, I describe a machine which subjected the fibrous material to :apressure which ultimately produced a bale having a high degree of compression and such a density as to make it practically impenetrable for sampling purposes if such material had not a particular arrangement which it is the province of this specification to describe and cover.

The bale of cotton, wool, hemp, or other fibrous material which Iproduce is com posed of compressed material joined so as to form a compressed spiral, which when extended will have the appearance illustrated in Fi 2 of the drawings and when compressed will appear more like what isillustratcd in Fig; 1 of the drawings. allel but joined layers adhere closely and naturally in the bale; but the portion of the halo desired for use may bereadily removed by taking the upper-end in hand and pulling layer after layer apart at their edges, eaeh succeeding layer being thus lifted by the the upperlayer. In practioeit has been found that this can be readily done by hand and the 2) of a continuous spiral. Again; it is unnecessary with this construction to preserve a sample and attach it to the outside of the halo, because asample can be readily ob- 'tained from any portion of the bale desired by inserting the instrument between the layers and drawing out .a portion of the spiral the bales are compressed by a process of wind- These approximately par-' bond or continuous piece connecting it with material will assume the form (shown in Fig.

of a number of approximately parallel layers sufficient for the purposes of the sample. It

-- is also evident that, the bale may be sampled illustrated in my previous patents abo-ve're- 2o 'ferred' to.

at either end by lifting a portion of the top layer or bottom layer, as the case may be, from between the wires; In this respect the present bale of fibrous material differs, essentially, from those bales made by winding bodies from the center toward the outside of the bale or by sim ply' compressing a mass of material with no definiteline of separation, forin these twoinstances the density of the material is such that it is impracticable to pene-' 'trate the interior, while in mybale, even though the material is more dense, a separation between the edges of the layers can bereadily made. In practice I have found the best way of producing this bale is by a ma-' chine substantiallylike that described and -A chamber is loosely filled with the material desired to be compressed and covered by a cap, through which is formed an inclined opening or openings, this cap being fastened to a stationary frame and the chamber having mechanism for revolving it. Additional material is then introduced into the chamber through the opening or openings in the cap and the chamber revolved, which has the effect of not only drawing in the additional material, but of highly compressing the layer of material against the underside of the cap as it is being introduced, and there'- by expellin'gthe air from the particles of such material. This operation is continued as long as the material is "supplied, and consequently the highly-compressed layers'thus introduced ggessure, seats to also exclude the air from of causing the material in the chamber to exert a strong pressure against the material or layers entering the chamber, and thus compress them. I

In the drawin gs, A designates the finished bale in its compressed state, and'B the layers of such material, which are all' joined together because the layers make a complete spiral. Y v a O designates any suitable cover which is placed upon the compressed bale,which cover is of the usual construction. 4 This bale has a number of advantages, some of which will be now specified; It is readily sampled at any point, as above described. A portion of the bale' may be removed with facility by hand by simply breaking off a few layers.

After the confining wires or cords are cut the bale expands quickly and spontaneously and docs not have to be torn apart with pickers vters Patent, is-

ing in time-and money is gained for the user ofthe cotton or other material. Thebale is of almost uniform density from center. I The bale is'hollow at the center, and

it is formedjof continuous spiralflakes or lay ers, so'tha:'tany desired portion;of the bale may be readily and accurat el y detached, and

when relieved of its tension it merely expands and retains its spiral arrangement, making it very convenient to handle. The bale, furthermore, being formed of layers from each of which the air is expressed as compressed, and such layers being superposed upon each other under compression, so

as to. thereby exclude the air from between the layers, and the bale fastened, secured, or covered in this condition, is, soto speak, hermetically sealed that is, the air is excluded and prevented from rentering the halo, which tends to preserve the material in the original condition in which it is baled for a considerable period of time.

It is manifest that variations or modifications may be made in the details of the arrangement shown and described without departing from set forth. I

What I claim,

the principle of construction 1. Abale of highly-compressed, fibrous material, composed of a continuous spiral with the convolntions flattened and restiugoue upon the other; substantiallyas and for the purpose set' forth.

2. A bale of highly-compressed, fibrous material, composed ,ofa continuous spiral with the convolutions resting one upon the other and leaving a longitudinal, central opening through such bale, substantially as and'for the purposejset forth.

3. -A bale ofv fibrous material composed of highly-compressed layers superposed one upon the other in the form ofa continuous spiral; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a bale composed of a series. of superposed layers, each of which is highly compressed so asto' express the air from the particles thereof, and such layers flattened and restingone upon the other under compression so as to exclude the air f roin between the layers; substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

5. As a new article'of manufacture, a halo composed of a "series of superposed layers,

and'desire to secure by Let or other devices, and thus a considerable sav:

periphery to each of which layersis highly compressed so as to express the air therefrom, and all of which layers are superposed one above theotherunder. compression so new exclude the air from between such layers, and means for retaining the bale in this compressed condition; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

b. Asa new article of mauufa'ctu ro,a highlycompressed baloof fibrous material composed In witness whereof I have hereunto set my of a continuous spiral, each of the convoluhand, this 27th day of January. 1897, in the tions of which is individually highly com presence of the subscribing witneeses. pressed, and :ill of the eonvolntions of which 1 are flattened and superposed one above the GEORGE other under compression, and means for rc- Attest: mining the halo in this condition; subsmn- FRANK '1. BROWN,

Lially as and for the purpose set forth. STANTON HUTCHISON. 

